Google could be working on a new version of its Google Home smart speaker that comes with a screen to compete with Amazon's Echo Show

Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Google could be working on a version of its Google Home smart speaker that comes with a screen, according to data discovered by Android Police in the most recent update to the Google app.

Specifically, some code inside the newest Google app update suggests that a Google Home device with a touch screen could be able to display the YouTube app and YouTube videos. The newly-found data supports an earlier report by TechCrunch that suggested Google is working on a smart-home device with a screen.

If true, a Google Home device with a screen would be similar to Amazon's Echo Show device, which is essentially an Echo smart speaker with a display.

To get an idea of what a Google Home smart device with a touch screen could do, we can take a look at the Amazon Echo Show. It does all the usual voice-activated smart assistant things, like get the weather, set alarms and timers, peruse the news, control smart thermostats and light bulbs. But the Echo Show's screen can act like a video phone, and it adds a useful visual element for your voice commands, especially when it comes to more complex tasks like checking your calendar or shopping on Amazon.

Google recently pulled support for the YouTube app from the Echo Show. Assuming that a Google Home smart device with a screen would support the YouTube app, it could be more appealing than the Echo Show, since the ability to watch YouTube videos is a pretty huge and important feature a lot of people would use.

There some good evidence here that a Google Home smart device with a screen is in the works, but the code found by Android Police could also pertain to an upcoming software feature that lets you use a voice command to play a YouTube video on a separate screened device. And so, a Google Home with a screen should be considered just a rumor for now.